Product Review: The SlouchBack

Evan relaxes on the SlouchBack. Unfortunately, he confused the cupholder with a handwarmer...

The SlouchBack was introduced this summer by two recent college grads aiming to give those with even the smallest dorm rooms access to a comfortable couch. It is an inflatable cushion that turns any bed into a couch.

When the FedEx box containing our SlouchBack arrived, I was surprised at its size. In its deflated form, the SlouchBack can fit into an egg crate with room to spare.

The pillow seems very well made. Its cover is a comfortable microsuede material, and you can request yours in a variety of colors. If you’re so inclined, you can also swap out the cover for one of another color, though there didn’t seem to be an easy way to order additional covers on the site. Set up was easy… we were impressed with the built-in high velocity pump that inflated the product in less than a minute.

After the product was inflated, the real testing began. We tested it out one evening by watching our first movie on our new TV with a few friends.

We found that when we used the product as intended– placing it on top of a single bed– it just wasn’t that comfortable. It left our legs in an awkward position, not resting on the floor as with a normal couch, but without the extra room that a bed usually provides.

We decided to try something different and put the SlouchBack on the ground on top of a quality carpet square. We found this to be a much more efficient use of the room’s space. Instead of just modifying our existing seating, we actually created new seating out of previously unused space. To be sure, our guests were still sitting on the floor, but now they were sitting on the floor – SlouchBack style (Those aren’t the only two ways you can use it, apparently… check out the Urban Dictionary definition)!

Close-up of cupholder.

Our biggest qualm with the product is its trampoline effect. When somebody leans on or gets off of the SlouchBack, everyone else is bounced up or down by the shifting of the product. This isn’t a deal-breaker, but the drinks our friends had put in the built-in insulated cupholders came dangerously close to spilling a few times.

It’s an interesting product, and while I wouldn’t mind having one for my dorm, it’s just too expensive for what it is at its current price.

To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education’s death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.

Penn State’s Interfraternity Council wants to make a statement State Patty’s Day, claiming that none of its chapters registered for a social during Happy Valley’s unofficial drinking holiday this weekend. “We commend the maturity and leadership that they displayed with their collective decision,” IFC released on the absence of socials State Patty’s Day. “We fully […]